


In the Middle of the Night

by dreamwriter32



Series: Dan and Ren Fanfiction [3]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Belly Rubs, Comfort, F/M, Sick Dan Howell, Sickfic, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-25 19:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13841844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamwriter32/pseuds/dreamwriter32
Summary: Summary: Dan gets sick in the middle of the night. Ren takes care of him and nurses him back to health.





	In the Middle of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> In case there is confusion, this is set in 2014.

The clock was glowing a bright green at Dan, telling him that it was currently two o‘clock in the morning. He had woken up suddenly not knowing why. He took a stock of himself and realized why he had woken up. His stomach felt like it was literally ripping itself in half. Dan was miserable. His stomach really hurt.

He really didn’t want to wake up Ren. She had been working long hours at the studio and the last thing Dan wanted was for her to take care of him and him sick.

But this stomach pain was much worse. He rolled over, feeling the gray T-shirt he had put on twisting as he turned, he glanced at Ren who was sleeping beside him. He gripped his stomach as he turned to lie back on his side, trying to be careful not to wake up Ren.

He had been feeling fine before he went to bed. Because the weather was cold, Ren had made chicken noodle soup from scratch. They had eaten it for lunch and between the three of them, they had finished off. Phil claimed it was better than his Mum’s then telling Ren and Dan to never tell Kathryn he said that. He and Ren had spent the day indoors, of course, planning YouTube videos and watching movies, sharing much-needed cuddles.

As Dan laid there, his stomach began to cramp. He closed his eyes, begging for it to be just an air bubble.

He didn’t have time to be sick. He and Phil had a meeting to attend the next day to discuss the radio show and he never missed any meetings or engagements because he was sick. The last thing he needed was to disappoint everyone, especially Phil.

If Ren found out, she’d make him stay home the next day if she found out he was sick. Her caring nature, which he loved about her.

A sharp pain spread throughout his abdomen, making Dan curse softly. Sitting up, he closed his eyes, moaning silently in pain. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his middle, clutching his stomach.

What caused this? Was it something he ate?

Ren had cooked for him and Phil before and he didn’t get sick then. He had her chicken noodle soup before and it didn’t make him sick when he had eaten it.

Then he remembered he and Phil had been out of the apartment more than they ever been. Could he have been exposed to someone who was sick?

He laid back down, hoping he’d feel a little better lying down. Nothing seemed to help.

Glancing to his left, he watched Ren sleep. She was now facing him and Dan was considering waking her because he needed her.

“Ren,” he whispered, his hand pushing loose strands of hair out of her face before he reached over and shook her shoulder gently. She stirred for a moment and Dan repeated the gentle shake of her shoulder.

Ren slowly opened her eyes and waited for a fraction of a second for them to adjust to the dark room. She let out a confused hum, as she struggled to focus on her sleepy boyfriend next to her. She sat up slightly to see the alarm clock over Dan’s shoulder. It was now almost three in the morning. Dan had been suffering in silence for almost an hour.

“I’m sorry for waking up you up, babe,” Dan said when her eyes finally focused on him. Dan rarely woke her up, so she knew it had to be something serious if he did.

“It’s okay, baby,” She murmured, voice laced with sleep. Dan sent her an apologetic smile. Then he winced again, feeling his stomach roll angrily

Ren noticed the wince, now she was concerned. “Dan, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She asked him gently. She noticed his arms were wrapped around his middle.

“I really don’t feel good, Ren,” Dan groaned.

Ren reached over and turned on the lamp on her side of the bed. “What hurts?” She asked him, concerned. With the light on, she could tell that he was sick. He looks a little paler than normal, an uncomfortable expression on his face. She figured the crazy busy schedule he had been keeping had caught up with him.

“My stomach really hurts,” Dan moaned, slightly. “And I think I have a fever.”

Ren sat up and reached over, frowning back at him as she placed her hand over his forehead. Her frown deepening as she was pretty sure he had a fever. She moved down to his cheek and felt his cheek with the back of her hand.

“I think you’re right. You’re burning up, baby,” Ren murmured. “I think you’re getting sick, Pooh Bear. When did you start feeling sick?”

“I woke up feeling sick,” Dan replied, curling up in a tighter ball. Suddenly, his stomach gave a warning rumble and began to roll uncomfortably, making Dan groan. After a few minutes of additional agony, he couldn’t take it, as much as he tried. He jumped out of bed, throwing the duvet off and ran quickly to the bathroom, opening the door to the toilet and lifting the lid before lowering himself to the floor.

It took Ren only a second to figure out what just happened before she limped out of bed and ran after Dan, not bothering with her robe. She didn’t care if Phil was to step out of his room and see her in her pink pajamas. All she cared at that moment was her boyfriend, who was puking his guts up in the bathroom.

Rushing into the bathroom, she sighed. The sight of her boyfriend leaning over the toilet broke her heart.

“Oh, baby,” she murmured. She kneeled down behind him and began to rub soothing circles on his back.

Dan threw up all of the contents of the soup and crackers he had eaten that day. His head pounding at each retch, due to the force he was putting into emptying his stomach.

Ren winced with each force, hoping for Dan’s sake, it would be over soon. When he finished, he laid his head down on the cool toilet seat, groaning slightly as his stomach cramped.

Taking the opportunity, Ren stood up from her place behind Dan and opened the cupboard where most of the first aid and sickness items are kept. She picked the digital thermometer over the ear one and returned to Dan’s side. She laid a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Here, baby. Let’s see what your temperature is,” Ren murmured. Slowly, Dan leaned back against, turning his head towards. Ren slipped the thermometer in his mouth and they waited for the beep to signal that it was done.

When it finally beeped, Ren pulled the thermometer out gently, seeing the thermometer reading a slightly higher temperature than normal, but not as high as she had seen it.

“Well?” Dan asked.

“38.3 (101),” She said. “Do you think you’re done? I can get the bin for you so you can go back to bed.”

Dan took a moment to take stock of himself. He still felt sick and a little nauseous, but he felt like he could move away from the toilet without vomiting all over the place. He didn’t want to make more work for Ren.

Dan nodded his head and Ren helped him to stand up as much as she could with Dan’s weak state and height difference. She didn’t want to wake Phil just to get him to help get Dan back to bed.

Dan and Ren made their way slowly back to their bedroom. When they reached the bed, Ren lowered Dan to the bed and he climbed in curling up in a ball with an arm wrapped around his stomach.

“I’m going to bring over the bin so I can go and get the bucket for you. I’ll also get you a cold washcloth for your head and we’ll see if we can get that fever down. Do you want me to make you some tea? It will calm your stomach.”

Dan shook his head to the tea. “Not right now,” he whispered, closing his eyes slowly and wincing when he felt another cramp roll through his abdomen, wrapping his arms tightly around his middle.

Sleeping had been quickly forgotten as Ren went into what Dan and Phil called ‘Mum Mode’. She only went into Mum Mode when one or both of them were sick. Phil had told her one time that she didn’t need to take care of him, but she reminded him that she considered him one of her best friends and she wasn’t going to just take care of Dan and left him to suffer on his own.

Dan couldn’t help but stare at her fondly. She was always so quick to try and help him feel better, regardless if he was sick or stressed. It was one of the reasons why he loved her so much.

“Do you want to try some medicine? It might help you feel better.”

Dan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. It might not stay down.”

“It might help your stomach. You might feel better if we get your stomach settled.”

To Ren’s surprise, Dan nodded. “Okay.”

“Alright, I’ll be back.”

Ren left the bedroom and returned to the bathroom, getting a washcloth out of the cupboard and holding it under the faucet, wringing it out get out the assess water. She got the bucket out from the bottom of the cupboard and then checked the medicine cabinet to see if they had any stomach medicine. Luckily they did. The one thing Ren made sure of was that the medicine cabinet was fully stocked at all times. She got out two pills, which was the recommended dose and headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water and a cup before heading back to Dan’s bedroom.

She had left the door cracked open to allow Dan to go back to sleep without the light from the hallway shining in the room.

Entering the bedroom, she found Dan had rolled over, lying on his stomach. He was lying on his left hand with his right over his head. His head was hanging off the bed a little, leaning over towards the bin. Looking in the bin, she saw that Dan had vomited a little while she was gone.

“How are you feeling, baby?”

“Not so good,” Dan mumbled. “It hurts.”

“Your stomach?” Ren inquired.

Dan nodded. “It doesn’t matter what position I lay in, it hurts.” He turned over to lie on his right side, facing Ren.

Ren moved the bin out of the way and moved the bucket in its place. Then she sat down the cup, pills, and the bottled water on the nightstand beside Dan’s side. Then she took the damp washcloth and started patting it along his forehead and cheeks.

“How’s that,” She asked.

Dan hummed in response. He didn’t question her when she placed it on his forehead. He closed his eyes for a second before reopening them at the sound of a bottle opening and the sound of water being poured into a cup.

Dan sat up and accepted the pills Ren handed him, then took the cup, sipping on the cool water to moist his mouth and throat. Then he brought up his hand with the pills to his mouth and popped them in his mouth. Then he sipped more water, handing the cup back to Ren.

She picked up the water bottle and poured more water into the cup and handed it back to Dan.

“Here,” Ren whispered. “The last thing you probably want is to go to the hospital because of dehydration.”

Dan hummed in response, again, taking the cup Ren offered. He sipped the cool water slowly, carefully as his stomach is still sensitive.

He hands the cup back to Ren and lies back down.

“I do know one thing and that’s your staying home tomorrow. Phil can handle the meeting with Radio 1 on his own or reschedule. I’m going to keep an eye on you in the morning and if by midday you aren’t feeling any better or your fever goes up, then we need to get you to the doctor. Okay?”

“Ren,” Dan moaned in protest.

“What if this is another infection?” She asked.

“Okay,” Dan sighed. “If we go, you’ll come with me right?”

“Of course,” Ren promised.

“I’m sorry I woke you, sweetie.” Ren could hear how miserable he felt just from hearing his voice. She ran her hand gently through his hair, noticing that the sweat from his fever had caused it to curl into what Dan called ‘Hobbit Hair.’ She pushed back hair that was sticking to the sides of his face.

“Dan, don’t worry about it. I’m glad you woke me so I can help you. Don’t worry about waking me up, I’d rather you did if you feel poorly. If you need me just wake up again.”

She ran her fingers through his hair until his eyes closed and soon he fell back to sleep. She laid down beside him, watching him sleep until she drifted back into her own slumber.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ren wasn’t asleep an hour when she felt a hand on her arm, shaking slightly.

“Dan? What’s wrong?” Ren whispered.

“Sorry, Sweet tart, do you think you could rub my stomach? Please.”

Ren rolled over and reached under Dan’s shirt, beginning to rub soothing circles on his stomach. She felt the muscles in Dan’s abdomen tense slightly when she first laid her hand down, but soon they relaxed as Ren began the slow soothing circles. She listened for any signs of distress from Dan, but his steady and even breathing told her he was okay.

Having taken massage classes and technically a licensed massage therapist, only didn’t practice, Ren knew some techniques to use, especially in times such as this.

Ren had kept this part of her education, a secret from most of her friends and had only told Dan six months into dating. But her massage training didn’t go to waste. She used her massage knowledge, as she liked to call it when Dan was tense enough, he winced at the littlest of movement and when he was stressed.

But her belly rubs, or the technical term abdominal massage, was used when Dan was extremely stressed when he couldn’t sleep at night, or times like this when he had a stomach ache.

It never failed to make Dan relax, sometimes so much so he fell asleep. A few times, he had even taken her hand and slipped it under his shirt, laying her hand on his stomach. When he did that the first time, Ren was slightly puzzled, but figured out what Dan was asking for and started to rub soothing circles.

“How’s this feeling?” Ren asked, wanting nothing more to help Dan feel better.

“Good,” Dan sighed. While the stomach rub didn’t touch the nausea, it soothed the cramps and the pain Dan felt in his stomach. “Thanks, Babe.”

“You’re welcome,” Ren whispered, kissing the underside of his jaw.

It doesn’t take much longer for Dan to fall asleep, his breathing even and deep. Ren smiles at him sleeping and leans over to kiss his forehead.

She keeps up with the circles until she is sure he is in a deep enough sleep and stops rubbing, but keeps her hand resting on his bare stomach.

She snuggles into his side, falling asleep quickly, hoping Dan would sleep through the rest of the night and he would feel better in the morning.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sunlight shining through the window, woke up Ren the next morning. She looked to her right to see Dan still asleep, his head resting on his pillow. She had woken up a few times to check on him and she found that he turned with his back to her at one point and then he turned his head leaning against her shoulder.

He looked so peaceful that she didn’t want to wake him up. She reached up to touch her wrist to his forehead to check his temperature, feeling it was much cooler than the night before. To make sure, Ren leaned over, pressing her lips against his forehead.

“Cool as a cucumber,” she murmured. She got out of bed and quietly walked around to the door, opening it gently, and slipping out of the room.

Phil’s door was open, meaning he was up.

Ren walked towards the bathroom first before heading to the kitchen to fix herself a morning cup of tea and to make herself some breakfast.

She wasn’t scheduled to go to work today until later and had planned on calling off if Dan wasn’t feeling better later.

“Good morning, Ren,” Phil greeted as he walked into the kitchen, preparing a bowl of cereal for himself. Ren didn’t comment when he got Dan’s cereal instead of his own.

“Good morning, Phil. Do you think you can handle the meeting you have today on your own?”

Phil paused with his hand on the handle of the refrigerator to get the milk. “Why? Something wrong with Dan?” He asked.

“He woke me up last night, sick. I asked him what was wrong and he said his stomach hurt,” Ren explained. “He was running a low fever, but he’s not this morning.”

“I’ll call Alistair and see if he could reschedule the meeting. We’re going to discuss the radio show for the next month and I would rather have Dan there with me,” Phil said.

“Even though Dan’s probably feeling better, I’d rather he stay in to get some rest. I don’t think he’d sleep much last night,” Ren added.

“I don’t blame you.”

After fixing herself some breakfast, Ren went into the lounge to eat, turning on her laptop to check her email and her social media. She saw a few work-related emails she needed to reply to and decided to do that later after she checked on Dan. She checked her Facebook, seeing she had a message from Tara, asking if she wanted to meet for lunch sometime next week. Checking her calendar, Ren replied she was free on Tuesday and asked where she was thinking of having lunch at.

Finishing her breakfast, she took her plate to the kitchen and headed to her and Dan’s bedroom to check on Dan.

He was still asleep when she opened the door. Knowing he needed his sleep, Ren quietly collected clothes to change into and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower and doing her usual morning routine. When she finished, she left the bathroom, with more medicine for Dan and headed back to her and Dan’s bedroom.

She stopped in at the kitchen for a bottle of water and headed to her and Dan’s bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, she saw that Dan was still asleep, Ren sat the pills and the water down on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed, sitting down on Dan’s side of the bed.

She moved one hand to his shoulder, while the other brushed away his fringe that fell in his face.

“Dan, babe, wake up for me,” she cooed.

Dan’s eyes slowly opened and he took a second before he focused on Ren.

“Hey,” he croaked.

“How are you feeling?” Ren asked.

“Better, stomach feels a little upset, but nothing like it did last night,” He replied.

“I brought you some more medicine. It should help further settle your stomach.”

Dan sat up and took the pills Ren handed him. She opened the bottle of water for him and handed it to him with his free hand, helping him guide it to his mouth. With a little bit of water left in his mouth, Dan tilted his head back a little, enough to slip the pills in without making himself choke.

“Thanks, Ren.”

“Do you want to eat something? I can make you some porridge or some toast. Something that would be gentle on your stomach.”

“I think I’d rather have toast,” Dan decided.

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

Ren left the bedroom, returning five minutes later with a plate of two pieces of toast. Dan pulled himself up, leaning against the headboard.

“Here, I think something in your stomach will make you feel better.”

“Thanks, Ren,” Dan murmured, picking up a slice of toast off the plate. “How do you not burn it?”

“I take it out to check it and if it’s not brown enough, I put it back in or I take it out.”

“Oh, so that’s how.”

“Do you feel better?” Ren asked, inquiring how he was. “I was concerned you had come down with something.”

“I feel better,” Dan replied. “By the way, Ren, thanks for taking care of me last night.”

“That’s what I’m here for, babe. I’m supposed to take care of you when you’re sick. You would take care of me when I’m sick and I’ll be here to care for you when you’re sick.”

Dan glanced up at her. “Even when it’s in the middle of the night and I wake you up?”

“Even if it’s in the middle of the night and you have to wake me up.” Ren reached over cupping Dan’s cheek. “I’d rather you’d wake me up if you ever feel sick in the middle of the night.”

“Really?” Dan inquired.

“Yes.” Ren kissed Dan’s forehead. “I will always take care of you, no matter what time of the day it is.”

“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” Dan asked.

“Yes, you’ve told many times,” Ren replied. “And I love you too, very much.”

Leaning over she kissed his cheek, as she knew he wouldn’t want her to get sick if he was contagious.

She took the plate back to the kitchen, returning to find him getting up from the bed.

“Bathroom or lounge?” Ren inquired.

“Bathroom and then I’m going to lounge.”

“Okay.” She collected a pair of boxers and a change of clothes, carrying them to the bathroom and laying them on the counter, shutting the door behind her as Dan pulled his shirt over his head.

She went to the lounge and checked to see if the Winnie the Pooh movie was in the lounge or in Dan’s bedroom.

By now, she knew what Dan would like to watch when he was sick. Anime or Winnie the Pooh. Neither Phil nor her complained, although they hummed the songs while they worked much to their and others amusement.

She returned to her and Dan’s bedroom, getting her phone to call off work for the day. She heard Phil in his room on the phone with Alistair, most likely rescheduling the meeting.

He was standing at the doorway of her and Dan’s bedroom when she got off the phone.

“Winnie the Pooh or Anime?” He asked.

“Winnie the Pooh,” Ren replied. “To start.”

“And we’ll end with My Neighbor Totoro.”

“Maybe,” She murmured.

Walking into the lounge, she found Dan curled up on one end of the couch, waiting on them. She had realized she had picked out his black shirt and grey joggers and was about to ask him if he wanted something else when he told her that it was fine.

She sat down on the couch beside him, after slipping in the tape and getting the remote. She pulled Dan to her side, letting him lay his head on her shoulder.

When Phil was comfortable, Ren pressed play and they watched as Pooh went to visit Rabbit where he would get himself stuck in his rabbit hole.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The meeting with Alistair was rescheduled to two days later. Ren was working in the makeup department when she heard the door open and close. Busy in her work of cleaning brushes at the sink, she didn’t look up until she felt arms wrap around her from behind.

“Hi Babe,” she greeted.

“How did you know it was me?” Dan asked.

“Because you’re the only one who would wrap their arms around me like you have now,” Ren explained. “How was the meeting?”

“It went good, we’ve got the show planned out until the last one and then we’ll move to Monday nights and the first Monday of the month. We’re meeting again in a few weeks to start a lineup. The only ones I need to ask are Jack and Dean,” Dan said, pulling himself up on the counter beside Ren.

“Tracy asked if you were better since she was out yesterday for an appointment. I told her that you’re feeling better.”

“Alistair asked me if I was okay when we got here. Phil told him the reason we needed to reschedule the meeting for today was because I was sick.”

“I have yet to figure out what was wrong with you. Maybe it was just a small virus that you got over quickly. I don’t know.”

“I don’t either and no one in the studio was sick and if I had food poisoning I would have been sick for a lot longer than a few hours.”

“Like you were when you ate week old pizza,” Ren stated.

Dan made an ugly face. “Don’t remind me of that,” he requested. That was definitely a lesson learned.

“I won’t.”

Dan told Ren about what they talked about in the meeting, knowing that life was going to change not just for Dan and Phil, but for Ren too. She was used to leaving work on Sundays with Dan and Phil. Sure, she had another five to six days of the week to leave work on her own, but it was something she looked forward too.

At the same time, she was glad for the change. She knew that Dan sometimes got stressed while planning the radio show on top of videos and his other YouTube commitments. The one benefit in the change to once a month would be the flexibility Dan and Phil would have to plan videos. And, she would have more time to have Dan to herself.

“Does the change in schedule mean you’ll have more flexibility?” Ren asked.

“If you’re worried I’m going to neglect you, don’t. With this new schedule, starting September, I’ll have more time for videos and you.”

“Dan, I’ve been thinking about something,” Ren began. She had been thinking about the other night when Dan was sick or more thinking about what would have happened if Dan didn’t wake her up to tell her he was sick.

“What’s been going on in that pretty little mind of yours, Sweet tart?” Dan asked.

“Would you have woken me up the other night when you were sick? Would have suffered in silence and alone?” Ren inquired, wanting to know the answer.

Dan sighed. “I would have eventually. My tossing and turning would have probably woken you up. What is this about?”

“I know you’re not used to having someone to take care of you. I know Phil tries, but he’s told me you’ve hidden being sick from him too.”

She lifted her hand to his neck, being the only person with that privilege, and cupped the back of his head with her hand, her fingers playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck.

“I want you to promise me that at any time, I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night or middle of the day, if you feel sick I want you to promise me you’ll tell me.”

Dan was silent for a minute thinking of what Ren had just said.

She was about to repeat herself when Dan whispered, “I promise.”

“Really?” She inquired.

“Really,” Dan repeated. “I promise I’ll tell you if I ever feel sick. Just do me a favor.”

“And what would that be?” Ren asked with a smirk and a hand on her hip.

“Don’t scold me if I happen to get sick from eating too much.”

“Have I ever?”

“No.”

“Do you think I would?”

“Maybe?”

Ren smiled and pulled him close. Her lips met his and they kissed, though not passionately as they were in public.

“I’ll see you at home?” Ren asked.

“Yeah, we might get pizza tonight. Do you want your usual?”

“Margherita? Yeah.”

“Breadsticks?”

“Please.”

“Alright, I’ll call or text you if the plans change.”

She kissed Dan one more time and watched as he left the room. She went back to her work, deciding to try to finish early so she could spend the evening relaxing at home with her two favorite nerds, her boyfriend, and her best friend.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

True to Dan’s word, he told Ren anytime he felt like he was coming down with something. Phil was slightly surprised at the change but welcomed it none the less. He would volunteer to go to the store if Ren needed anything and would do anything he could to help Ren while she nursed Dan back to health.

Later that evening after the promise, Dan asked her if she wanted him to tell every time he was sick, even when he had something as a simple as a stomachache.

She told him that she wanted him to tell her, even if all he had was a simple stomachache. Her point was that she didn’t want him to suffer and to suffer alone.

Ren was so surprised the first time Dan called her to tell her he was sick two weeks after the promise that she didn’t know how to react. Dan had the flu, which required a trip to the doctor and her filling out paperwork for consent of releasing any and all information regarding Dan’s health to her and that she could, if he was unable to, make decisions on his behalf. She wasn’t alone as Phil was on the list and hoped the day never came that she would have ask Phil what he thinks she should do.

As time went on, anytime Dan got sick, he would tell Ren, even if it was in the middle of the night.


End file.
